Russians’ trust in President Vladimir Putin fell to a new low in July as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in anti-Kremlin protests in the Far East, according to newly published results from the independent Levada Center pollster.
Only 23% of respondents named Putin when asked to identify which politicians they trust the most, the Levada Center said Wednesday.
That figure is less than half of what it was in November 2017, when 59% of Russian respondents named Putin as the politician they trust the most, and three percentage points lower than it was last month.
Putin’s approval rating remained steady at 60%.
Levada conducted its survey among 1,617 Russian respondents between July 24-25.
Unprecedented mass protests in the Far East region of Khabarovsk broke out this month after the arrest of its popular governor Sergei Furgal and his replacement with a Putin-appointed lawmaker from an outside region.
In another poll released this week, the Levada Center said nearly half of Russians approve of the anti-Kremlin protests in Khabarovsk.